


Terms of Endearment

by xoElle23



Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, PDA, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-14
Packaged: 2018-08-30 22:38:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8551918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoElle23/pseuds/xoElle23
Summary: Mike Lawson isn’t overly affectionate. After a year and a half of playing it cool, however, it appears one Mike Lawson has officially had a change of heart.





	

**Author's Note:**

> You guys are all incredible and I couldn't love you more if I tried. The support and love is overwhelming and I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you Pitches!

This never used to be a problem.

Seriously, hand to god. You can ask literally any of the women he’s been with and they’ll all tell you the same thing ‘til they’re blue in the face:

Mike Lawson isn’t overly affectionate.

It’s not that he’s not romantic, because he totally is in the appropriate situations. Granted most of the booty calls and one night stands aren’t included in this, but that’s understandable. When he’s genuinely fond of someone though, when it’s a real relationship, he’s not afraid to display the fact. 

He’s just not a fan of the over-the-top, lovey-dovey, in-your-face crap that so many people seem keen on. Holding hands is fine sometimes, but for the most part people don’t need to witness how attracted you are to someone firsthand. And don’t even get him started on the sappy shit people put online. Everyone knows you’re together; they don’t need to see a million pictures of rejected prom poses. There’s no point. It doesn’t matter because, at the end of the day, it doesn’t add or take away anything from the relationship.

It’s all just tasteless and tacky in his opinion. It’s not a sin, it’s just not Mike Lawson.

(Things were slightly different with Rachel, he’ll admit. But not a lot. He was willing to hold her hand in public, put his arm around her, make sure people knew he was off the market. But the PDA still wasn’t a thing he ever embraced. His private life was just that- private. And that was enough in his book.)

When news first broke of a retired Mike Lawson being spotted with one starting Padres pitcher, the stance on PDA wasn’t much different. In fact, that was part of the reason they’d gotten away with the friends line for so long. When out together, whether with friends or just the two of them, body contact was few and far between. 

It was the sheer number of exclusive outings that really sparked attention as time passed by. The first few pictures to make headlines weren’t anything crazy. His arm around her in a restaurant booth opposite the Sanders’, a hand on her lower back as they crossed the street, a warm hug of greeting upon her arrival for lunch.

After a year and a half of playing it cool, however, it appears one Mike Lawson has officially had a change of heart.  
Instead of a rare display of brief affection here and there, it could be said that these days Mike Lawson may or may not have a problem.

It’s a little bit ridiculous, actually. Because after all this time together, in contrast to every prior relationship, even in public- especially in public, Mike Lawson can’t keep his hands to himself.

At home, at least, he has the comfort of knowing his curly haired rookie is safe from the prying eyes of the public masses. When it’s just the two of them, or close friends and family, he doesn’t have to worry about foreign eyes wandering places they shouldn’t or making false assumptions. The people that matter know the truth, and the truth is that Mike Lawson and Ginny Baker are unavailable and happy about it.

The general public seems keen to make known anything but. Which is why Mike makes it his personal mission to prove them wrong. Because it’s hard to believe a couple is on the verge of splitting up when he can’t keep his hands to himself.

Also, okay, he kind of can’t bear to not be touching her in some way, even subconsciously. She’s his rookie. His anchor. And what do you do with your anchor? You hold on to it to keep from floating adrift. Which is what he does. He holds on. A lot.

(“Mike, do you realize how hard it is to walk when I’m pressed up against your chest?”

“My bad, Gin.”

“Thank- no, wait, Mike, that’s not what I meant. Put me down. Put. Me. Down.”

“My back is fine-”

“I’m not worried about your back. Put me down.”)

So he likes to keep her close. Big deal. So what if his favorite place to keep his hands is in her back pockets? That’s hardly inappropriate. And just because he frequently stops her midsentence to steal a quick kiss doesn’t mean anyone should be freaking out. After all, it’s not like he uses tongue. Very often. 

(“Blip?”

“Yeah Ginny?”

“You’re staring.”

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are. What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Blip, seriously, you’re almost as bad at lying as Evelyn. Just tell me.”

“It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“You kinda have somethin’ on your neck…”

“What? Where? Oh my god. MIKE!”

“What’s up babe?”

“Why do I have not one, not two, but FOUR hickies on my neck?”)

And then there’s his newfound enthusiasm for social media. Like, seriously, Eliot may be out of a job soon because he’s proving to be quite the Twitter connoisseur.

@theMikeLawson: #livetweeting the @PadresMLB game. Mets dont stand a chance against my girl @GinnyBakerOfficial ★ ★ ★ 

@theMikeLawson: to those who claim cheetah slippers and neon short shorts were a bad fashion choice, @GinnyBakerOfficial just proved you wrong.

@theMikeLawson: got all the valuables out of the house in time to prevent smoke damage. everyone safe. @GinnyBakerOfficial no more microwaves for you. 

@theMikeLawson: note to self: @GinnyBakerOfficial does not think bacon bits are a suitable last minute substitution for brunch. 

@theMikeLawson: just asked @GinnyBakerOfficial if a diaper and wings would be acceptable attire for valentines day. I’m taking the middle finger as a no.

Oh yeah, he’s also an emoji fiend. At first he didn’t even realize he was doing it, but after Miller called him out one night he’s taken to going overboard just for the hell of it. He’s a big fan of the guy and girl making kissy faces at each other, the thinking face, the pink girl sign (for girl power and all), any and all variations of cats, and of course the baseball and collection of hearts. He also likes to throw in random ones for no reason, such as a stray umbrella, microscope, or random symbol he doesn’t know the meaning of. 

(“Mike, why the hell was your last tweet a cactus, the British flag, the pause button, and a pair of scissors with the crystal ball?” 

“Learn to read between the lines, Baker.”)

And he’s apparently taken up amateur photography as well. The amount Instagram posts he’s putting up are ridiculous. Picture after picture, sometimes being posted more than once a day, consisting 45% of pictures of the two of them, half of Ginny on her own, and 5% a mix of food, sports, and the occasional shot of something stupid just for his own entertainment. 

(“MIKE. Why did you just put up six pictures of me getting ready for a party?”

“Why would you take a picture of me ordering take out?”

“Okay, seriously, I’m clipping my toenails. Find a landscape or something, old man.”)

The possessiveness she’s okay with. For the most part. It took some time to teach him how to behave. But after several conversations (and lectures and threats) he’s gotten better. Now instead of threatening reporters bodily harm when he feels they’re too close, Mike simply keeps an arm around Ginny at all times. And when he thinks someone is eyeing his lady a little too much, he heeds Ginny’s look of warning, takes a deep breath, and calmly moves to block the pervert’s line of sight.

All in all it leads to significantly less amount of lawsuits, Ginny isn’t pissed, and Mike doesn’t have to sleep on the couch. Everyone wins. 

He’s just territorial is all. Because Ginny Baker is basically nothing short of a goddess and no matter how fucking crazy it is that she picked him, what matters is that she did. And people need to remember that, because she’s his. 

(“I’m not trying to be a possessive asshole, Gin. It just pisses me off when people act like you’re not taken, because you are. I know you’re not my property and I’d never think that. You’re a person. A strong person that’s totally your own-”

“I get it, Mike. It’s okay.”

“I mean, when I say that you’re mine it’s also implied that I’m obviously yours. Because I am. I’m completely yours.”

“I know. It doesn’t bother me. And just for the record, I kind of have a thing for possessive assholes.”)

He doesn’t do a lot of press anymore, a personal choice he made after permanently putting up his glove. But the occasional times he does indulge the media in a quote or brief interview, it’s pretty much the same thing.

(“She’s an incredible ballplayer and an incredible woman. The team is lucky to have her and so is the game.”

“I’ve never been prouder.”

“No contest, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“I had an impressive career. What I did on that field was nothing short of epic. But she’s singlehandedly changing the sport. And at the end of the day, she’ll be the one that goes in the history books. Which is exactly the way it should be.”

“Yeah, quote me all you want. I’m head over heels for Ginny Baker and I’m happy to say it.”)

He shows up at every game though. Proudly donning a Property Of Ginny Baker shirt and a sign that says THAT’S MY GIRL as he sits just behind home plate, locking eyes and giving her that extra push whenever she needs it. (He’s proud to say he’s only been kicked out of two games this season for screaming obscenities at a foul call.)

So yeah, maybe he’s had a change of heart. He’s an overly-affectionate, mushy gushy, PDA-loving sap that his younger self would’ve ragged on. People can tease all they want, because it doesn’t matter. He’d scream it from the rooftops if he could. 

For the first time in a long ass time, Mike Lawson is completely and utterly happy.

So he’s going to show it.

-end.

**Author's Note:**

> My next project is an interview with the one and only Mike Lawson. Stay tuned. :)


End file.
